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New Mexico Law Enforcement Academy shortens training to get cops on street faster

The New Mexico Law Enforcement Academy board unanimously approved a 16-week training academy for new recruits. That's a month and a half shorter than the current training period.

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Updated: 7:23 PM MDT Sep 11, 2013

New Mexico Law Enforcement Academy shortens training to get cops on street faster

The New Mexico Law Enforcement Academy board unanimously approved a 16-week training academy for new recruits. That's a month and a half shorter than the current training period.

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Updated: 7:23 PM MDT Sep 11, 2013

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WEBVTT STATE. IT'S SHORTENING THE TRAINING ACADEMY. BUT, KOAT ACTION 7 NEWS REPORTER REGINA RUIZ EXPLAINS... IT'S A PLAN THAT'S RECEIVING SOME CRITICISM. DOUG AND SHELLY, TODAY THE NEW MEXICO LAW ENFORCEMENT ACADEMY BOARD UNANIMOUSLY APPROVED A 16 WEEK TRAINING ACADEMY--- THAT'S A MONTH AND A HALF SHORTER THAN THE CURRENT TRAINING PERIOD. RIGHT NOW, CHIEFS HOPE THIS GETS OFFICERS ON THE STREET FASTER. POLICE SIRENS AN ALARMING TREND---- NOT ENOUGH OFFICERS TO PATROL SOME NEW MEXICO COMMUNITIES -- like many agencies, we're behind where we need to be as far as police officers out on the streets and we are doing the best we can to remedy that TO HELP THE SHORTAGE--- THE LAW ENFORCEMENT ACADEMY BOARD AGREED TO CUT THE 22 WEEK TRAINING --- TO 16 WEEKS. It's going to allow us to put our personal out onto the streets in a much quicker fashion, I'm just ecstatic, we've been working on this very hard so I am really glad they made that decision, I think it was the right decision. BUT, THE DECISION DIDN'T COME WITHOUT IT'S FAIR SHARE OF CRITICISM. The biggest concern at first from all of the Chiefs and Sheriffs was 'are we going to get the same product? Are they going to get the same training? Can we do that in 16 weeks? THE DIRECTOR SAYS THAT'S NOT A PROBLEM ... AND CHIEFS AGREE. There was enough redundancy in our current basic training program that it was beyond basic, it was in need of some revamping THE NEW TRAINING WILL COMBINE SOME AREAS LIKE COMMUNITY POLICING AND CRIME PREVENTION, --- AND CUT OUT HIGHER LEVEL POLICE EDUCATION --- THAT GOES BEYOND THE BASICS OF WHAT AN OFFICER NEEDS TO KNOW ... I do, I really, really do. I think I can effectively train them, in that amount of time, so they are going to get the same product, it's just going to be faster THE LAW ENFORCEMENT ACADEMY HAS BEEN TRYING TO CONDENSE THE TRAINING SINCE 2011. OFFICIALS BELEIVE IT WILL NOT ONLY HELP GET OFFICERS ON THE STREETS FASTER... BUT, A SHORTER TRAINING ACADEMY MAY ALSO HELP WITH RECUITING. THE NEW TRAINING ACADEMY STARTS

New Mexico Law Enforcement Academy shortens training to get cops on street faster

The New Mexico Law Enforcement Academy board unanimously approved a 16-week training academy for new recruits. That's a month and a half shorter than the current training period.